Running Death
by patabon
Summary: This is the apocalypse, survival is all that is important right? Not anything else just survival. No matter what I need to survive but how this world is just a waste land.I do not own anything from Z nation,I only own my OC's
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The nukes, the Blasters, and radiation. The Apocalypse had become more crazy in the last week than the four years it had started. "Another day, another sorrow" I say getting out of my bed. The nuclear fallout had spread to where I was, no one who was sane stayed or they died and became a blaster, I was the last person I knew who had survived it. I go to the kitchen and open up a cabinet pulling out a granola bar, and a bottled water. I start to eat walking around the small building I had lived in for the last... forever. Normally I wouldn't go out but the building , but I needed some air, I wasn't running low on rations but might as well get some, it could be a while till I get to go again.

I pick up my bag, duel pistols, and hunting knife. Before exiting the building I look in the mirror, I put my hand to the mirror looking a my black bluish tinted hair, if I found any more blue dye, I was going to use it. I leave the building putting my duel pistols in my holsters, swinging my bag on my back, and my hunting knife in my belts. Putting my bandanna around my nose and mouth I head for the hill east of the building away from building, making way from the road and the last remaining oak tree in the wasteland. Here nothing seem to bother me, not even those mutated zombies were messing with me. It takes me a while to find a road or path with any supplies, which only gave two bullets, a pocket knife, snickers bar, and a thing of real aspirin. "That was all you had to offer, great." I smile, it seems I was going insane.

I was starting to get farther away from home, but I just needed a bit more of time to search. I start to hear rustling and I head for a tall tree and start climbing it till I am out of sight, "Murphy you gotta be kidding me, couldn't you get her something different to wear." The old man says. A blue man responds, "No I am not, I think it's classy." He puts his arm around a girl in a horrible getup. I look around and see 7 walking around and smile, "A group," I whisper, Than I notice something else, attackers, surrounding the area, either they had no idea or they didn't care. I pull out my Hunting knife, if this got ugly, I would need to get out and quick. The attackers surround them maybe eight or nine of them are around. "Drop your weapons and no one gets hurt." One of them say, probably the leader. "We're not going to do that," One of the women say, probably the leader of that group.

I see one of the attackers tighten their arms. "Should I help, wait it out, what if they see me and shoot me down.' I go for the ladder. My mind races as I jump on top of the leader and stab his jugular, and grab his gun and shoot another one in the head. My arm goes and throws my knife at one of them right in the eye. Three down, and they start shooting, "Fall back," one of them says running away and the rest follow suit. "That happened." The old man says looking at me. "Thanks? I guess." I say turning my back, grabbing my knife, and walking off, "Wait kid, you alright?" The old man asks looking at me, "Doc, let's go, he can't be bothered, we have to head out." My ears perk up as Murphy talks. "If you guys are planning on walking through the fall out, not a good idea. Especially at dark." I warn walking off, "Why?" One of them asks me, "I have a house not that far from here just a half a mile west, pretty easy track." I dodged the question the girl asked me and started walking, "You coming." I say looking back.

They start to whisper behind me, "Can we really trust this kid Warren, I mean he could be leading us to a death trap!" A guy wearing goggles, and they just keep egging on saying, if they should shoot me or trust me. "Well if you must know I am not leading you all to your death, if you plan to kill me I will at least take one of you down and please learn to whisper better!" I yell at them passing the oak. "Whoa this one bites." Murphy says walking up the hill. My blood boils as he speaks, "okay were here." I say heading to the door. "Nice place, do you live with anyone else?" The leader asks looking at me with a bit of curiosity. "Yeah been alone for a while," I smile at her, "My name is Ziggs." I say putting out my hand, "Warren." She accepts it, "Why did you say it was dangerous walking through here?" She asks as they go inside, "These zombies killed by a blast were mutated, they are faster and travel in hordes," I say looking at her with concern, "I haven't seen one personally but, the people who come by are hella afraid of them." I say walking inside.

"Food and water is to your right and the living area is the left, in the morning you can stock up on supplies in the morning before you leave." I put my sack on the counter as I pull down my bandanna."So you really do live alone," A girl says looking at me, "Yup, Ziggs and you are?" I ask smiling. "Addy, nice to meet you Ziggs,why did you stay here after the nuke hit?" Addy sits on the counter and for a second my face twists a bit, "I never saw a need." I walk out of the kitchen and into the living area. "So where did you guys come from?" I ask looking at them, they seem to groan at my question. "New York." Doc says heading to the kitchen, "Holy crap, you have this much supply kid." Doc says as he opens the cabinet doors. "Yeah, I do, take some if you'd like." I say running in, "but not too much."

* * *

As the night pursued on I learned their names and a bit about them, "I'm heading to the roof see yah in ten." I say climbing the ladder to the roof, over the years of the apocalypse the sky had become the one thing I could love or rely on. I start to hear thuds and as 10K climbs the ladder, "You spend a lot of time up here, don't you." He says looking at me, "As much as I can,I still can't believe how the sky has gotten over these years." I say looking up higher than normal, maybe hiding a bit of my voice in the process. "Why do you smile all the time Ziggs?" He ask looking at the sky now, "Well if you must know, I just feel like if I don't, I won't be me anymore." I say looking him in the eye, for a second I almost slide off, and he grabs me. "Thanks, that would of been bad." I say laughing. He laughs too, "You are something Ziggs," he says pulling me up more. What ever comes over 10K but he kisses me until I pull away, "I'm sorry I.." I interrupt him, "It's fine I just didn't expect it." I say. My eyes shift outside where I heard a big bang of knocks on the door.

I climb down the ladder and look around two of them were asleep, Vasquez and Murphy. "Let me guess, tried to stay watch?" I ask Addy. "Yup, is 10K still up there?" Addy asks me and I nod. I bump into Warren in the hall, "Know who that is?" She asks me and I get a pit in my stomach, "I have an idea, you guys hide somewhere, if they see more than just me they may not be so easy to deal with." I say brushing them all away into the living area and shutting the door behind me, and grab a flask. Opening the door a man and another one walk through here with tattoos on their arms. "Hi,how can I help you?" I sarcastically ask, if they were the people from earlier they are here to kill me and the other's. I start to smile at the fact I was defending people I didn't even know.

"We just want a bit of shelter for the night," He says walking in past me, "and maybe end your life if you don't agree." He says making me quiver, "Well I don't agree with how you're treating me," My arm covers my mouth, 'no time to defy someone with a gun to my head,' I think, "I like you but sadly you killed three of my people, it's only fair if I kill you." He says pointing a gun at me, "I understand, but couldn't we, the three of us have a bit of fun first?" I ask and he smiles, I see the door crack and see 10K and Addy's eyes. The guy with him laughs "What do suppose." he says getting closer, and I pull out pull out a flask. He smiles and takes a sip and passes it to his boss , "Gracias." he says taking a sip.

The other guy starts choking and his boss tries to throw up but starts choking as well. "Sorry but when you threaten my life I end yours." I say walking past them 'And I do feel sorry,' I open the doors. "you guys have to get out of here as soon as there is daylight." I walk to the kitchen and grab all of the supplies I can and head for the the floorboard. I discovered it last year but the floorboard was loose and I found things my family left, my duel pistols and a locket of my mother's. The floorboard also lead below the house, a good escape plan if needed.

I put the board back and wipe my eyes. Warren walks in and looks at me on the floor, "You okay Ziggs?" She asks sitting down next to me. "I'm fine, what's the deal with the Murphy guy and Cassandra, and don't tell me that Vitamin deficiency that Vasquez told me," I say looking at her, "Doesn't seem like you're a threat, I mean you took out five guys to stop us from being killed, but as you've seen not all of us trust you, me, Addy, Doc, and 10K do but the rest don't seem to like you." She says avoiding it. "Doc explained to me you all were going to California, could I go with you?" I ask looking at my neck. "If you're up to it you can come along, we could use another guy for this trip," She says getting up. She puts her hand out to help me up, "You in," I smile and accept, "Let's get some sleep tomorrow is going to be a long day." Warren says heading to the living area

My mind flies with possibilities as the night moves further on. It is daylight by the time I start to feel. "Wait the kid is joining us!" Vasquez yells making me shift a bit, but keeping my eyes closed, "Listen Vasquez, he's not a bad guy, if he was he would've left us out in those woods with those attackers or turned us in and Murphy." Warren says locking eyes with Vasquez, "If he does anything that is questionable, I take him out." He says exiting the room, "He is a ray of sunshine isn't he." I smile at them, I start to grab my weapons and bag. "Ready to go," I say pulling up the bandanna over my nose. The rest follow suit as they I open the door knife in hand. Two Z's come at me, I stab one in the eye and the other in the forehead."That was surprising." I take my knife out and wipe off the blood. 'This was going to be a long trip,' I think to myself. I walk next to Addy and Warren as we move South West.


	2. Zombie Road

Chapter 2.

I thought that it was strange that Murphy was blue, but the pace they go at is completely different than mine, and their thought process as well. "So I have been meaning to ask Ziggs, how do you know how to use that knife so well?" Doc asks me looking at my hunting knife. "Well I picked it up over the years, and my mother got me to take some self defense classes when I was younger," I say looking at the ground, "Where is your family?" He ask looking at me with some concern, I know he was curious but that hit a spot of sadness, "Don't know, could be dead, or alive, we got split up at the beginning." A twinge of sadness hits saying it aloud. "Maybe we'll find them on the road," Addy says flashing a smile back at me.

Warren stops us as we're on top of the hill looking over a horribly managed road. A wagon train of cars are in the process of being ambushed. Vasquez suggest we wait it out, and claim some of the supplies from the Victors of the battle but immediately shot down, "Okay Ziggs can you give us a distraction, divert their attention away from the group." she says and I smile, "Okay," I say getting my guns out, "Do you want it loud, or silent?" I ask her, "As loud as you can get it." She says looking at me with a smile. "got it!" I say rushing in. I shoot straight at one of their weapons knocking it out of their hands, "Yo punks over here." I yell getting their attention more and the others strike.

The others strike crossing them out one at a time, that really confused me. Flanking them left and right. I get my knife and cut one of the guy's arms,legs, and then the eye, just deep enough to kill. At the end of the fight we head for the truck and are welcomed past, I stick in the back with the sick and Addy. Trying to comfort them the best I can, if there was one thing I knew, it was when someone was dying. We get out of the back and report to Warren.

"Addy can you go, I don't think it would be good if both of us left them alone." I say and she nods, "Got it, make sure they are comfortable." she says smiling heading to Warren. "Excuse me do you have any food I could have." A woman says with strife, these guys wouldn't last long. "Of course," I say digging through my bag and finding a few saltines, "Sorry it's not much but it's something." I say handing it to her and she accepts it. "Thank you." She says.

A minute later Addy comes back up. "You okay?" she asks me, locking eyes with me, "I'm fine, just trying to relax, how about you?" I ask her, she shrugs, "Could be better, we're about to move, and Murphy is back here with us." She says smirking at the last statement. "So what happened to you and 10K last night." She says leaning in so no one would hear anything, "It was just a kiss!" My face flushes red as my voice hits a new octave. Murphy gets on and we start moving. "Come on girl." he says and I see Cassandra running, she stumbles a bit but we pull her up onto the truck. 'Everyone is here' I think to myself as I stare at her. She wasn't all there, but I could see she was under Murphy's control somehow.

My eyes open wider when I see two bandits in dirt bikes come from behind, "Huddle up everybody, get small." Addy screams as they start to pass shoot one of the Caravan men in the head. 'This can't be good' I think looking at the tires. I grab my gun and aim for them, shooting three times, two miss, and one manages to just barely hit the rim. Cassandra is gone and our truck slows down almost to a complete hault. "Everyone okay?" I ask and they seem to nod. Murphy gets up and runs to Doc and that other guy. Wrecker I think.

Me and Addy follow him, "Doc get up," He yells at him, "I'm fine.." I interrupt him, "Blasters, we need to move." Spotting them and being this close could've been a death sentence to us. My legs freeze up, I try to move but they wouldn't listen. I hear Murphy scream at Addy to start the car. Murphy holds his hands out trying to stop the blasters from hurting, "MUrphy it won't work their brains don't work like regular Z's," I finally break free and help Doc and Wrecker up. "Got it!" Addy yells beckoning us forward and I run for the back and get my gun out. When We all get onto the truck, it moves faster than I thought it could.

"Ziggs you okay?" Warren asks me, "Could be better, a lot better." I say getting out of the back. "We could use someone up there to help 10K" She locks eyes with me, "Yeah I can help up there," I smile at her, "How about you?" I follow her up to the middle of the cars, "Tired. Thanks for asking," She says heading to the Custer. I head to 10K, "Those blasters are worse than I thought." I jump up on the car. I hear a growl from behind, "Ziggs watch out!" 10K yells as I'm knocked down by a Blaster. I try and grab one of my guns with my free hand but it's just out of reach.

'My knife,' I think pulling it from my belt. Pushing the Blasters back I stab my knife into its eye. As I get up, I see them runoff. "Are you alright!" 10K ask me, "Yeah just seeing double." I smile at him, grabbing my guns and dusting my legs off. "They'll be coming back 10K." I say to him, he shifts for a second and looks at the sick section of the truck. "I wanted to say sorry about last night," He says turning to me. "Hey you're fine, and to let you know it was a pretty good kiss." I say shrugging. The train wagon stops at an area similar to a parking lot. The car the bandits took was there and so was Cassandra.

10K and Doc run over to here, seeming to not get through to her and Doc pulls an ax out of her leg area. Like there was no tomorrow, she ran to Murphy. "Not a good chat?" I ask 10K, he shakes his head. I hear an engine rave and notice Cassandra and Murphy are gone from the group. "That was rude." I cross my arms. My feet shake a little as the train wagon starts again probably going after the car. "Can I see your gun for a sec?" I ask looking behind us. "Sure," He hands me the gun and I look through the scope, "The sick truck has Z's and a lot of them!" I say handing him the gun and grabbing my pistols.

I reach it along with 10K, "Addy," I say holding out my arm along with 10K. "Thanks," she says accepting our hands, we run past Doc's car, "You three run I got this." he says getting out by car window. The he eye came running first, Doc tries shooting it down and he manages to knock it off the Wagon Train, "Damn it! I think I might of gotten it" He yells running alongside of us. we start to slow down and Warren heads to the front, "Doc hand me your gun." Addy says holding her hand out, he gives it to her. "Zeke I give you mercy." She says that and shoots Zeke in the head. The moves faster more Z's and blasters approaching us, 'This can't be good.' I think, I hear the Cars horn blast. "Everybody off." Vasquez says jumping off, 'Time to follow suit.' I jump off as the others do, landing on my side.

"That was fun." I say sarcastically while getting up. " I agree with ya kid, never jumped out of a vehicle in my life and here I am, just jumped out of two." He says dusting his pant leg off. I hold Doc's arm back for a second, "I have a question to ask you doc," I say falling back a bit, while the group head to a car, "what is it kid?" He asked me, "Well, those people survived the fallout too but they had radiation sickness, I was wondering why don't I?" I ask him looking more confused than normal. "Don't know kid but I would count you lucky." He says walking off.

10K and Vasquez get the hitch and I stick with Warren, checking the engine. "Ziggs, can you take inventory, just to make sure we have enough." She says looking at our supplies, "Yeah of course," I say walking to our supplies. Just by looking at all of it combined, there wasn't much. Maybe two, to four days worth of water. Our food situation was not better either, maybe if we rationed it to bare minimum, four days at most. The only thing we were good for was medical supplies.

I get up putting the supplies on the truck. "So how is it?" She asks me getting out of the driver's seat. "We have a few days of food and water, medical is alright but we may need to stop and get more." I say looking at the truck, "How about that?" I point to it, "May have just enough fuel to take us to Minneapolis." She says wiping her forehead off. "We'll stop at the next town get some supplies." She says getting into the car again and starting it up, I hopped on the back of it.

* * *

If they told me when I was in school about their being a zombie apocalypse I would of taken gym seriously. The truck stops in a small town called west ST. Paul. "Okay, let's split up, meet up here an hour with whatever you can find, 10K you and Ziggs, Me and Addy, Vasquez and Doc." She says heading off left with Addy. "Okay let's go." I pull my knife out, if anything was going to happen, I was prepared. I head to a two story building, that seemed to have been abandoned a long time ago.

Looking through the building I find ammunition for a revolver, a box of stale crackers and a lighter. "This place is a bust Ziggs let's just.." I pull a book case from the wall and find a bag, with enough rations for a week, and one shotgun and two handguns. "Nice how did you know they were there." He says sitting next to the window. "Well if I was going to hide something I would either hide it in plain sight or in a place nobody would suspect." I say looking out the window, "Ziggs your cheek," He wipes his across my right cheek and clears off blood. "Oh sorry. When did that happen" I say covering my cheek with my sleeve, for a moment there is a bit of tension. But like the night before he kisses me, with no time to react I let it happen.

I push away for a second and smile at him, "That was good," I say leaning forward and kissing him on the cheek, "But.." I say locking eyes with him, "But what?" He ask me, "We have to get the supplies and we already spent half our time in here looking for supplies." I say grabbing the bag of supplies and heading down stairs. "So wait if we didn't have to get supplies you would've kept going?" He asked looking at my face, "Maybe, I mean you.." He kisses me again making me drop the bag, and grab his waist. My brain races with one million thoughts as I look at him. He pulls me closer and smiles, "How much time do we have?" He ask me.

"Maybe five minutes," I say letting go of him. Trying to hide the blush in my cheeks I look outside that window, "Z five o'clock." I say pulling out my hand gun. "May I do the honors." I look at him and he smiles and nods. One bullet to the eye kills them every time. We head to the truck, supplies in hand, waving at Addy and Warren. "No talking about what happened right?" He asked whispering in my ear and I nod. 'No need for them to know.' I think to myself. I hand Warren the bag of supplies, "All we could find." I say sitting in the back of the truck with 10K. "We were the last group." I say smiling at him, "Yeah, yeah we were." He says putting his hand over mine.

* * *

Authors Note~

So how do you like the story, I love feed back. I hope you enjoyed it, time to start the next one.


	3. Batch 47 and Trapped

Chapter 3.

The remaining trip was easier than I thought it would be. No blasters seemed to be after us. Z's were spread out pretty far, which was abnormal because you know this is an apocalypse. The lab in Minneapolis was only five miles away now. "So how do we get Murphy back?" I ask 10K, He shrugs. "There is no telling how he will respond to us, could even try killing us." He says locking eyes with me. 'That was helpful.' I think to myself. Up ahead there seemed to be a large number of greenhouses, and a few vehicles. Stopping at the front of the gates to this strange compound.

I get out of the truck, and look at the greenhouses and cringe. "I have a bad feeling about this place." I whisper to Addy. She looks at me for a second, "Don't worry." She says putting her hand on my shoulder, It's funny that I just met her and the others barely a week ago and now I considered them friends. "You guys here to Harvest the cure?" A man asked from over the fence. " Yeah we are." Warren says looking into the compound, "You're armed." He says, Addy scoffs at him, "Yeah!" She says and the man opens the gates, " Harvesters wait in the garage." He says letting us through.

The compound was almost quiet until I hear someone yelling for help, I start to run for them. A woman was being pulled by what looked like a plant zombie. Pulling didn't seem to work it just kept trying to crawl. I started cutting the vines and Vasquez starts smashing the things head in. I help the woman up, "You alright?" I ask her and she nods, "Yeah I think so." She says leaning on my shoulder. The guy from earlier comes up to us. "You guys are supposed to be in the garage." He says pointing his gun at us, 'overcompensating much.' I think looking at him. I help her to the garage with 10K and Addy.

I sit her beside a little girl her little girl, Doc pulls out what looks like a pad, "really." I say looking at him as he places it over the woman's leg. "Thanks," she says brushing the girl's hair. The girl wakes up, "Momma," The girl says pulling herself up, "Hey sweetie Momma's here, back to you just like I promised." The woman seems to comfort the girl more, "Did you find it?" The girl asks , "No sweetie not yet, lay down okay." The woman says. Gently she puts the girl down.

I look at the girl, she was definitely sick, and didn't have a lot of time. My eyes wander from the girl to the garage's door, I look out it. "MURPHY" I shriek in a whisper in a high pitched voice. "Ziggs you okay?" Addy asks looking at me in surprise. "Yeah, I just saw Murphy." I say pointing out of the garage, to a much bigger greenhouse. "Good job." She says heading to what looked like a forklift. I head over to Warren, "I think I should investigate the area, maybe find something useful," I say looking at the door. "Okay, just make sure nobody spots you." She whispers to me. "Got it." I say carefully waking out of the garage.

Walking around the compound without being seen was a bit difficult. I had to manage my time crossing to the other greenhouses, and when to look at certain objects. In the end I find nothing useful except for rope. I head back to the garage, being as careful as I could, just barely making it to the garage without being spotted. "Find anything?" Warren asks me and I shake my head, "only rope." I put the rope down and sit next to the mother and daughter. "She's beautiful," I say looking at the woman, "Thank you," She says brushing the girl's hair. "Before the Apocalypse I had wanted to be a teacher." I say looking out the door.

"Is that so?" She asks looking me up and down, I wasn't the teacher type if you looked at me, "Yeah, it was. I felt I could help people then." I say looking at the girl. "Don't worry about her, I think she'll be fine, I have a feeling." I say smiling at her. The others start making a plan to get Murphy, Until Murphy interrupts them. "Or you could walk by and say hello like civilized people." He says and I zone out the room gets a bit dizzy and I start to cough, "Ziggs you all right," Warren says looking back, " Yeah I might sit this one out." I say leaning against a wall. "Okay," She says leaving with Murphy, 10K stays back for a second and looks at me, "You.." I stop him, "I'm fine, now go get that cure." I say putting more weight on the wall. "Okay no good luck kiss." He says looking at me. "Don't go pushing your luck now go." He leaves.

* * *

As time passes I get more worried and I sit in front of the greenhouse with Cassandra. She was always so distance, sometimes she was there, and other times she was gone. "So what's the deal with Murphy?" I ask, no response just a cold glare. I hear a car come to a complete halt at the front of the compound. Out of the cars come a group of men, most of them wearing skull masks. I notice three that aren't,one of the three terrifies me. his face was so familiar, so horrible to me I almost fainted. He spotted me staring at him and he walked over. That was when I blacked out.

I awoke in a van, not one I recognized, and Cassandra was next to me passed out, no one else was recognizable other than her. My guns and knife were gone. This was, no had to be a nightmare. But it wasn't my body told me all of this was real!

* * *

~Author's note~ hoped you like this


	4. Trapped

Chapter 4: Trapped

Previously on Z Nation: '"maybe we will find you parents on the way"', I pass out waking up in a van

There was a kid in the mirror, One I didn't recognize, he had scars and bruises all over his body, around his neck, head, thigh, chest,abdomen, arms and legs. He looked to be starved, beaten and very malnourished, his eyes had dark circles, his hair had been dyed blue. This was me Ziggs. It had been days or months since I had seen the sun, since I felt the air, or killed a Z. Cassandra and me had been trapped here for what seemed like a lifetime, she had become my lifeline to sanity in this hell. Murphy's hold on her seemed to be dissipating by the day as Hell.

They barely fed us or showed their faces except for one man, he tortured us, every day, every night. He was sadistic, the apocalypse had made him more insane than when the world was different, better. He knew who I was and took me for that reason, he was the one who tortured me then and was hurting me now. "Cassandra, If I die, you can eat me." I say sitting next to her against the wall, or what could've been a wall. "Wha.t.t ..are you saying?" She asks stuttering a bit, this was her now, she could speak most sentences to completion.

"I'm saying that I might die, and you can eat my corpse." I say tiredly, "We are not dying here!" She says, we discuss this almost every day, that there wasn't much time for either of us. "Good job speaking a full sentence." I say smiling at her and she laughs. "You know under different circumstances we could of been great friends." I say putting my hand on her shoulder. "Yeah, maybe we w..would've been." She says. The door opens up slowly a female walks in, she had medical equipment. "He wanted me to check on you two." She says moving over to Cassandra and me.

She gets a syringe out and flicks the needle. "You can't be serious, you're still going with that, everyday you either take blood or inject us with some drug." I say as she takes a sample of my blood. "You know what he does, don't you hate it?" Cassandra asks as she gets her blood get her blood taken as well. "I left some clothes on the bottom steps, he really hates your old ones." She says exiting the room. "They are getting old and disgusting." I say getting up and grabbing two pairs of jeans, and a tank top along with a grey thermal long sleeve shirt.

We both put on the clothes given to us. To be expected they were very loose on us. "Well atleast they are clean." She says tightening her belt to the very last nautch. "I wish 10K or Addy were here." I say tightening my belt. "Yeah, I wish that too." She says sitting down again. "nineteen and still haven't gotten laid!" She laughs at her statement, "I guess you and 10K would of been a great fit." She says looking at me. "How about you and Murphy, you were all over him." I say laughing at her. "Oh come on." She says looking at the door. I start laughing and I hear a thud.

"That couldn't of been good." She says getting up. My arm went to a rusty pipe, I had hid it from them since day one. The door opens and I feel a wave of sadness as a Z is put through the door. The Z had blond long hair and a skinny frame. She was unrecognizable than she had been when she was alive. It was like the man controlling all of this, knew all the ways to push my buttons. The Z they pushed through, was my mother, I fall to my knees.

"It's her, M..mmy mother!" I say on the brink of tears. There was no escaping or delusional reasons that was my mother. "Ziggs, I'm sorry." Cassandra says no longer looking at me but the corpse. "Do you want.." I stop her. "I need to do it," I say getting up. I head to the Z, she was blank an empty slate. "Mom I give you Mercy!" I say hitting her in the back of the head and then on the forehead with the pipe. She was dead for good, I had fallen again and this time I didn't want to get up.

Cassandra had sat down with me, not trying to talk, we had learned early on that talking wasn't always right for a situation. The situation was completely different than at the greenhouses, Cassandra had became more warm through the time away from Murphy. She finally speaks, but in a whisper. "We need to escape, Ziggs." I nod showing no sign or change in motion, "We have to pick the right time." I whisper to her. That would probably be our last moment but we had to try.

My arms searched for anything sharp, anything even a rusty nail or syringe. after a few desperate tries I find a long rusty nail. "When the guy comes through that door, I stab his neck, you grab that radio thing on his belt." I whisper to her. We never knew when he came by because of us being away from clocks but it had to be late. There is another thud, and the door opens. Who we were expecting didn't come down, a guy probably in his thirties came down and turned on the lights.

"Let there be light." He says jumping down a step, We stay silent, this guy also had a radio, and another one. 'Why does he have two?' I question myself, gosh I need friends, "I thought I would come down, and check out what the boss saw in you two." He says taking a step closer to us, "He said you were his favorite." He says touching my forehead and hair, I smile at him and ready my hand. "You want some fun?" I ask fakely getting up slowly. He nods like a pig, I hold onto the nail and stab him in the shoulder. Cassandra acts quicker than I thought, grabbing the radio.

"YOU BITCH!" He yells slamming me down with his fist, and storming out of the basement holding his shoulder. As he shuts the door we converse. "You sure this thing will pick up that Citizen Z guy?" I ask her and she shrugs, "He can usually pick up any signal." She says looking at with hope, "Let's try." I say patting her back.

* * *

Warren P.O.V.

"So what you're going to do fi.." I'm interrupted by static, "Mayday, can anyone pickup." I hear a voice say that a familiar one at that, "Who's there?" Citizen Z says. "Cassandra and Ziggs." a male says. "Ziggs, Cassandra you're alive?" I ask them, 'things just got strange.' I think to myself.

* * *

Ziggs P.O.V.

"Thank God!" I say in a happy tone, before anyone can respond Cassandra speaks, "Z can you track our signal maybe give some Idea of where we are?" This could've gone a lot worse. "Yeah in a second.. got it." he says giving us both a laugh of relief, "We don't have a lot of time Citizen Z give them the coordinates." At the end of my sentence the radio died out. "We may have a chance." I say smiling at her. "Maybe we will." She says looking at the door.

As time passes the door doesn't open or thud just silence. The position we were in wasn't great, but we had played the cards we were dealt with. What happens, happens. The door opens without the thud.

* * *

10K

"Wait so they're alive!" I say looking at everyone, the horde of Z's had fallen into The Grand Canyon. "No one thought to tell me this." I say letting my face get red. "We knew how you would feel, we needed your head here." Warren says locking eyes with me. It had been months maybe since I had seen either of them. "Look we are going after them now." Addy says looking at Murphy. "That fine with you." Addy says looking more irritated with Murphy than anything. "Of course I need to get Cassandra back." He says looking out the coordinates were really close by, hopefully they were alive.

The way there was not normal, everyone was on more edge than the regular. "We should be reaching the coordinates any moment." Addy says looking at the scrap of paper she wrote on for Ziggs and Cassandra's coordinates. "Don't worry guys were coming for you." She says holding onto the scrap of paper.

* * *

Ziggs

"I saw what you two did, impressive, I never did like that punk." This was him, Greg lischynsky, the man who made our lives hell. "The nail in the shoulder, I thought I broke you, but you are always such a clever sneak." He says holding a syringe. He grabs me by the neck and injects all of it into me. The world starts spinning faster and faster all around me. "What did you inject him with!" Cassandra yells at him.

"Something he can…" I interrupt him with a headbut, I grab the rusty pipe. "I see.." He can't finish a sentence. "No you don't get to talk!" I scream at him, I hit him over and over again with the pipe. My arm doesn't stop and tears run down my face, my whole body and clothes are covered in blood. Cassandra pulls my arm back and hugs me. "It's not your fault." she says holding me.

We walk out of the prison we knew too well, to a white tiled floors and walls. I look around and see guns on corpses, one of them is holding dual pistols, and a knife. "Cassandra, get that guy's weapon, were going to need it." She picks up a machine gun, and I get my old weapons back. "Where is the exit?" I ask her, "No clue, just go right." She says shooting a Z. This was a nightmare, a never ending one. We end up at a lab. and I spot familiar red hair. "ADDY!" I yell running at her.

"Ziggs you're alive." She says smiling at me. I start to see black dots. "This can't be good." I say right before passing out.

* * *

I wake up in the lab, this could be fun. "Ziggs thank god you're up." Addy says holding her hand out. "Where am I?" I ask her, "You're still in the compound!" A woman says. Through the dizziness and drug I realized it was the woman who did check ups on us. "Are you there Ziggs?" She asks me trying to look through it, "Yes I am. I need to know something though." I say to her, she nods, "What did that guy inject me with?" I ask her almost falling off the counter but 10K catches me. "you okay?" He ask me and I nod, "You could say he roofied you, the drug was a date rape one," She says coming closer, "and strong one infact."

"Ziggs you okay?" 10K ask again, whatever the hell is going through my mind I didn't think what I would do next was me. I kiss him, not like our last few kisses but more drunken. Addy laughs, "Saw that coming." she says looking at me, "It's good to see you back." Thankgod 10K pulls away from me, "That was a good kiss." he says picking me up, "Lets go." I say walking forward, I had forgotten about how the thermal long sleeve shirt covered my neck and arms, moving showed them the bruise around my neck. "Ziggs is th.." Warren says looking at my neck, "It's fine don't worry." I say but before I can walk out the door the doctor lady stops me.

"Before you go I need to give you some information on the test I ran." She says opening up a file. "What test?" Cassandra asks her going over to my shoulder to support me. "We had checked your blood and we saw the H1Z1 virus halted by your own blood. We assumed you were bitten by Murphy and we were correct. But the case was different for you Ziggs, your mother was one of our scientist." She continues on, "Do you remember your first few days in the apocalypse when they left you." She says and I nod, "You were very sick when it happened. Your immune system shut itself down days before the virus was in the air but, when it reached you your body needed something to build itself up again and what's the first sickness that gets to you?" She ask looking at me.

"The Z virus." Cassandra says looking at me. "Yes, you are correct, his mother insisted on leaving and coming back, instead of Mercy, but they had gotten lost, so your mother is hired here to develop a cure. Now it's five years later and she finds you and an immune, she test you and we find the virus within you." She says. That pushed me through a loop, I had fallen to my knees and covered my eyes, what the Hell was happening, "So what were those drugs, and was it necessary for you to use that sadistic man!" I yell at her, I had started to sob, I had gone through Hell twice. "The drugs were different versions of the virus and the man was the only thing we had a problem with." She says looking at my face.

"What about my mom, huh was it necessary to kill her!" I yell more this time my voice grows hoarse. "The man did that to break you." She sheds a few tears, "Ziggs?" Cassandra says. I don't know why I collapse maybe emotionally I knew that if I was awake I would probably hurt or kill, or was it physically because of all the stress I was under.

* * *

I wake up again this time with a clear head and in a car. Cassandra sat next to me along with Addy. "Good afternoon sleeping beauty." Cassandra says extending her right arm, "Thanks, wait did I kiss.. in front of.. you guys!" I say almost screaming, "Yeah you did," she says pulling me up more. "So that wasn't a nightmare." I say sinking down in the chair. "No it wasn't and I'm sorry Ziggs." Addy says, "There is no reason for you to be sorry." I lift myself up again. "so another one of us is immune." Murphy says less than ecstatic, "What's wrong Murphy missing the old Cassandra?" I ask. "Yes I was, but hey now I have the old." He looks back at us.

"Walking from here." Warren says stopping at what looked like a neighborhood. "No more gas." I say trying to get up, "Wow Ziggs take it slow!" Cassandra says pushing me back. "10K can you help me get him out?" Cassandra says, "No really I'm fine!" I yell running out of the car. "The outside!" I say under my breathe, this was what I missed.


	5. Chapter 5 home bound

Chapter 5: homebound

We settle in a house, one that seemed to have no damage a first for me. "Do we really have to stop, I mean I can.." 10K pushes me back down, "Look Ziggs, you've been through hell, both of us have, we both need a time to rest." Cassandra says putting her hand on my shoulder, "I don't think I can." I say pulling my shirt collar up. "At least try." Addy says which pushes me to go to the bedroom. "10K why are you coming up too?" I ask him stopping on the last step. "Thought you might want company." He says turning around, "I would like company." I say heading to an end of a hallway. Opening the door I see the bed, "Queen sized bed!" I say jumping on it.

"You can sit on the bed." I say patting the bed and he smiles, "Don't get any ideas." I say looking at him. Curling up in the covers, and with 10K. This felt to good to be true, I turn to him and smile. "What?" He ask me and touching my chin. I kiss him a bit more passionately than I have before. "Wait are you…" He says grabbing my waist, I smile, "Maybe." I say. He pushes me down and gets on top of me. "We're doing this," I say kissing him firmly. Kissing me back he pulls me forward, for someone who didn't know what he was doing, this felt right.

* * *

"That felt good!" I say putting my jeans back on. For what I had known 10K didn't see my scars or bruises. I hurry and put on a blue short sleeved shirt on, there was no point in hiding the scars and bruises on my arms but I needed to hide my neck. A grey head band and pull it over my neck. Heading out the door I smile 'I can't believe that happen,' I couldn't help but smile. I head downstairs and sit next to Cassandra. "That must of been some sleep." She says rubbing my head, she smiles until she sees the headband, "You're still hiding it!" She whispers to me looking at the head band. "Yes I am," I say trying not to yell.

"I understand you're in denial but we have to talk to them about it, r will go insane!" She says not raising her voice, I was impressed with her, being around Murphy and not under his control. "Look I can't stop and think about that, because if I do there's no coming back, all of it becomes a reality worse than this." I struggle to smile, "So if denial is how I have to go, I will." I get up and rummage through the kitchen for some supplies. Cassandra follows me in, "Okay but we can't stay silent forever." She says grabbing my arm.

"Fine I'll tell them later." I say grabbing my guns and knife. "Were about to leave," Warren says grabbing her machete. "Tell us what?" Addy ask me, "Nothing!" I say walking out of the door. Z's seem to flock around the area, my head starts to ring, I try walking it off. One image keeps showing in my head, him, the man who made my life a living Hell. A Z starts charging at me, my mind goes blank and I run. My mind knows I shouldn't run I should give it mercy. But I didn't know where I was.

I was in the neighborhood still but on a roof. 'It's your fault she's dead.' A voice in my head repeats, 'No repent!' It says, it shows me clips of my mother and then of me killing her. 'There is one way,' it says, 'a bullet to the head.' My arm grabs my gun. 'No I can't!' I keep telling it, 'Yes you can, they won't miss you.' It says holding it to my head, it laughs. 'Hold on that was what he said to me.' A brief moment of dread hit me, a flashback sprung to life.

* * *

It had been two months before the apocalypse, two years after The man had me. I was in the bathroom holding a razor to my wrist ready to die. At that time I was no longer me, I was a monster of myself, I started to cut. As I did I had hit a major vessel, my dad and mom were beating the door, trying to stop me. Finally dad gets through mom was calling the cops, "Just hold on, don't die, no matter how down you are there is no reason." He says holding my limp body.

I started crying, the one thing I had kept with me than, were those three words, "Just Hold On."

* * *

10K

I saw Ziggs run from three Z's not like him, but I have never seen him run this fast. "Damn it!" Cassandra yells, "What?" Warren sask looking at her. "Cassandra why would he run!" She yells at her, "This happened before a week after we were locked up, Ziggs went crazy, he had no one to talk to because I was silent and what they did to us would make anyone crazy." Cassandra says looking at me, "He had given up, so when they came by for anything he would hide in the corner an.." She interrupted by a scream, high pitched. Addy starts running for the scream.

What I saw astounded me, Ziggs on the roof of a house being held down by a man. He was holding Ziggs arm behind him, their conversation had been muted for me. Cassandra had started to run to the roof.

* * *

Ziggs.

My arms had dropped the gun, I hadn't stopped crying though. In my sadness I didn't notice when someone snuck behind me and pushed me to the ground. "Remember me bitch!" He yelled at me, "No." I say struggling, I start to scream, hopping they will hear me. "Don't worry about your friends, they will see you in hell…" I kick him in the balls, it was the guy I had stabbed with the nail earlier yesterday. I stand up holding my knife out at him, Cassandra comes up to the roof, " Oh so both of you are here." He says laughing, looking down I see 10K and mouth sorry. "Yeah we are," I say jumping on his back. "and I am tired of you scum hurting me." I say stabbing him in the forehead.

"I need to get better at observation." I say dusting my pants off and grabbing my gun . Cassandra slaps me on the cheek."That was for running off!" She yells at me. " Sorry." I say putting my head on her shoulders. "Ziggs, don't do that again or else next time you'll get more than a slap to the face." Addy says bringing me in. " We found gasoline so we can get the Hell out of here!" Doc says laughing it off. I look at 10K and take off my head band. ' No more secrets,' I think to myself jumping in the the back seat with Cassandra, I relax a bit.


	6. Corporate Retreat

Chapter 6 Corporate Retreat

The amount of smoke in this area was sickening and for killing Z's it was even worse. Handling them took a bit of time but I managed to make it to this hotel building with the others, the doors were locked and we were shouting in there. I look down at my leg, the scars had stitches on them, "I have an idea, but it's going to hurt." I say getting my knife and cutting over the scar. "Please some of us are injured." I say holding back a bit of pain. The door opens, and a short man with glasses and a bit of bad breath rushes us inside. Addy leans into me, "Are you crazy!" she whispers, I nod, "It got us in." I whisper limping a bit. There was a bit of blood coming out. "Do you guys have bandages?" I ask. "Yes let me get them," he says going over to a shelf and taking some off. "Here." He says handing the bandages, I smile and thank him.

Wrapping the bandages around my leg and sealing them up tight was too easy and natural for me now. Doc sits next to me, "Kid that could've been bad." He says looking at my leg, it was more visible now that I lifted up my pant leg to put the bandage on. A man carrying a stick around started talking, I had zoned out, this was happening more frequently. Whatever drug That man gave me, it had done damage to me. I zone back in to hear a women say "Popcorn circle process." and I laugh under my breath, 'what were we in kindergarten' I think.

She starts explaining how the log was used like a talking stick to resolve conflicts peacefully. She hands the man who's "in charge," the stick. He starts making judgements on everyone. He gets to me, "You are lost, hopping no one will think less of the new you, you hide your real feelings," He says moving onto Cassandra I grab my knife, just incase, "You and him have been through too much, you try and be strong for the both of you." He goes to 10K and I sit down, this was not good.

Him Gideon and a woman named Dana leave with Warren and Addy. We start to settle in this hotel. I sit on the ground and start looking at my weapons and clean them off. Cassandra looks at me with concern from what Gideon had said. "Don't worry about me, why don't you head with 10K and Doc I could use the alone time alone." I say looking at my knife. "Okay, if you're okay." She says leaving me in the middle of the lobby, alone. Maybe I was different than I was when I first left with Warren and the others but, I was still me. Not some cure like Murphy, right? I mean that lady could of lied when she said that about me, or it could've been a dream.

A Z at the door starts hitting it over and over again I see Vasquez take it come down, "Go watch Murphy for me will ya kid." He says, 'First time he's talked to me since I joined the group again. "Sure, watch my guns." I say grabbing my knife. I head to the couch where he was supposed to be and hear thumping in the stairwell, starting to climb I see Murphy and one person following him to a room, I run in.

Seeing a man behind the both of them I jump in front of them as a shot is fired. Pushing Murphy out of the way, lucky me I get shot in the gut and the other guy gets it in the heart. The door is slammed shut and what feels like it's been locked. Murphy is trying to stop the blood, "There's a lot isn't there?" I ask looking at him, the door is slammed open. "Ziggs!" Someone shouts, starting to drift off, someone picks me up. "Come on Ziggs stay with me!" I can barely make the face out but it's Addy.

They lay me out on the bar counter, I look at my torso, my shirt was soaked in blood. I close my eyes attempting to, not only do I fail I can hear everyone's conversation. "Can you fix him?" Warren asks him. "To major, he's already lost a lot of blood, if he's lucky he has an hour maybe more." Doc says looking over me, my eyes were wide open now. Every part of me wanted to scream but my vocal cords wouldn't work. Cassandra saw me awake. "He's awake," She says looking at me, I try and move a bit but a strike of pain surges through me.

She puts her hand on my forehead, I can barely talk managing a word would be difficult. I point to the man next me, and mouth Mercy the best I could. She shakes her head. I look over at Murphy, "You..Alrigh.." I stutter out at him, managing a smile or sentence was difficult enough, trying to be sincere to MUrphy was to much. "Yeah kid, I'm good." he says looking at the wound.

* * *

Cassandra

Finding him bleeding was horrible, he looked dead, more dead than me or Murphy. His already pale skin became that of a ghost and his eyes were bloodshot. "We have to go for a second Doc is going to make sure your good." I head off with Addy to that, "We have to get who did this." I clench my fist, he didn't deserve this. "Hey guys, could I ask you to come in here and join our trust circle, were going to resolve this conflict peacefully." Gideon says, Warren comes in with a furrow of anger on her face, "That's going to be difficult, considering one of you, just shot one of us." She says, looking more irritated than normal.

A man asks if she had any proof, I glare at him, I don't even pay attention to Warren or the others. The people of the Hotel start saying things about Ziggs being suspicious. I interrupt one of them, Gideon maybe, "Ziggs.." He stops me and gives me the log, "None of us would've shot Ziggs, he has no bad bone in his body." I say looking at Gideon, "Invume." A guy says, he introduced himself as Iggy, "I looked at his wound from earlier, when he got in, self inflicted, maybe he shot our guy, and then shot himself." He says handing the log back to Gideon, Vasquez stands up, "Ziggs didn't have his guns on him, couldn't of done it." Vasquez defending Ziggs a rare sight.

They continue on until they point a finger at Iggy, "Your diet was reduced to nine hundred calories and you don't look like it." Was one of their points against him. It didn't make sense to me, but they banished him. I get back to Ziggs and Doc, Ziggs is asleep but has a horrible fever. "He doesn't have much time, poor kid." Doc says looking at him. After everything me and him had been through this last year, I thought for a bit maybe he couldn't die. This couldn't be the end for him.

* * *

Ziggs.

"Doc...Pls." I said him, he was dodging the questions I asked him but I finally wore him down. "Not long kid." He says to me. I smiled, it might of been insane but I was happy, I had been fighting so long to survive but it was the end. I survived longer than most of the people who thought I couldn't did. "Thanks…" I say to him starting to cry it wasn't like me to break down crying, but I needed to more than anything. "Kid, I'm sorry." He says patting my shoulder. "No..need.." I say to him blinking my eyes to stop the tears.

"Why hasn't.. he turn.?" I asked him. "It might be because the bullet got some of your blood and then hit him, seems like that lady was right about you. You might of been immune." He says. My mind seemed to ease a bit. When talking to Doc or 10K they didn't treat me like a kid, like the others, but on equal ground. "Tell 10K I lo.." I'm interrupted by him. "Kid you're not dead yet, tell him y.." I start to sleep.

First time in a while I had slept on my own will and not because of sleep deprivation. My dreams were never the same, all of them had different details. This one was a nightmare, dreaming of the situation that had gotten me shot, I wasn't looking at the man directly, the one who shot me but I saw him. My mind started to dwell with anger, 'Now you tell me.' I dream shuts down, I feel my body raising itself up, I could barely see out of my right eye now.

I see the guy who had shot me in the torso, my mind races with so many possibilities but I choose none. Getting up and walking in the shadows of the room til I was right behind him. That was what I had chose, or whatever was in control chose to do. I was not in my own body any more just a witness.

* * *

10K

The guy who shot Ziggs was holding us at gunpoint had shot the guy who had directed us to him. "Dana let's go!" He yells at her, she doesn't move just points at where Ziggs was. "Where is ….!" The guy is cut short by a tackle from behind by Ziggs. "Kid!" Doc yells, the tackle pushes them both through the guardrail and onto the floor. His eyes were unfocused, he was a feral beast, no longer the Ziggs I had known. Getting up Ziggs throws the man through the door, hitting and knocking him around until he got on top of him and ripped out his jugular with his bare teeth. Realization dawns on his face, Cassandra runs to him.

* * *

Ziggs

"What did I just do!" I repeat over and over again. My mind not believing what I had done to him. I start crawling backwards into a corner. Cassandra tries to calm me down, but nothing works I just keep repeating those words. "STOP!" She yells at me, somehow snapping me out of it. Looking at my victim I see he isn't turning, and I couldn't see the jugular I had removed from. "Did I, Swallow hisss…" I start vomiting. Cassandra helps me up by my back, I feel her touch the area the bullet went through, it was sealed completely, she looked at me with a questioning glare. Shrugging I look at my stomach, completely new skin. Whatever the Hell happened to me, stopped me from dying.

The others looked at me with what looked like disgusted faces, and 10K was the final blow. I grab my gun and sit in the corner of the room, Gideon was right about me, no spot on. This was exactly what I feared, and they didn't even put me down. As time passes on Cassandra gets me up, "We're leaving," She says pulling my arm, making me get into the car. I look outside the car to see Ady and That Dana woman talking and I smile. 'Just Hold on!" A voice tells me. Addy walks back to the car and I smile, "What!" She defiantly says. "No need to say anything," I say looking at her. She smiles at me.

"Ziggs you have a bit of blood.. on your cheek." Cassandra says handing me a bit of fabric. 10K still wouldn't look at me still, the others seemed to have mixed feelings on me. Putting my head on Cassandra's shoulder the car's engine starts. Maybe this wasn't so bad, I just needed a bit of time to get trust back right.


	7. Zeros

Chapter 7

We had made it so far south we were at the border of Mexico, we were inside of a room. "Ready," Warren says opening the door. I run out with Cassandra right next to me. Shooting Z's was keeping my mind off the hotel incident, where I had briefly become a Z. Shooting them down kept my anger from spreading. I was only using one of my guns, "How much ammo do you guys have?" Doc asks me, "Only using one gun, so another clip." I say looking at him, "Here," I say handing him my un used gun, "Thanks kid." He says shooting two down.

"There are two many of them!" I say backing up next to 10K. "Sorry!" I say, A hatch opens and a man yells over here, 'Should we?" I ask Cassandra she nods, "Your choice?" He says about to close it, I jump through the hatch. Landing on my side I laugh, that was fun. When they all get down here I smile. "In the name of La Reina de los Muertos, Queen of Zeros Cartel. I suggest you lower your weapons." The man says holding a gun to my head, "Fine!" I lower my weapons. Warren threatens to blow Murphy's head off, which works well with those Zero guys. They want to see his scars and he shows them, which to me was creepy.

Zoning out for the conversation seemed to happen a lot more frequently since the hotel. All I get is that The Zero Queen wants us alive. "That was close!" I say looking at Warren, "You're telling me," She says patting my back, "and he'll come around sooner or later!" She heads to the front with the guy from earlier. I stay back and smile, don't know how but, Warren had known my nerves. "Kid you coming!" Doc yells beckoning me forward.

I end up walking next to 10K, it was so stressed, too much tension. "Look I understand you are, by all means disturbed by me, but at some point you're going to have to talk to me!" I start yelling at him, "You are a stupid son of a gun, why don't you just shoot me or something, because I am tired of this stupid.." He interrupts me with a kiss.

* * *

10K 

Ziggs was different, he didn't have that fire in his eyes any more they were dark and dull. Getting anywhere close to this Ziggs was not the same as that one defiant guy I met. Walking next to him down this tunnel with him made more tension. He starts yelling at me, the old fire in his eyes spark making a smile appear on my face. I couldn't help myself, I kissed him. Stopping him in his tracks, slowly pulling out of it he slaps me. "He's back!" I laugh following behind him.

* * *

Ziggs

"That was a risky move 10K, you're lucky that still works on me." I say hurrying my pace we were a bit behind the group. We walk in on the guy Escorpion talking about how they use zombies as energy. In the back of my head i feel sorry for those Z's left to rot, no one to give them Mercy. I look at Murphy before heading with the others, I start to frown from seeing his face, he was feeling it to. Following 10K out of the tunnels I see bright trees, trees not dead from radiation.

I start to smile and run to one of them jumping on it as High as high I could, "What's wrong with him?" Escorpion ask looking at me from the group, "My guess…" I glare at 10K can answer, "Nothing just happy to see a living tree!" I jump of the tree and the grin grows more. So continuing on, "So La Reina De Los Mortos, Queen of the dead, she'll give us our bounty." Warren says in return to the other statements Escorpion had said. Zoning out wasn't hard to do especially in others first and last thing I hear is Warren say, "Than lets meet."

Looking at the queen of death, from any distance, it dulled my positivity. Something was off, she seemed less like a figure of hope, and more like a signature of death. Holding my gun I notice Addy tighten up. The death Queen walks past us, "You don't need no weapons here." She says moving on. A man comes by collecting our weapons, I kiss my gun. "Bye." I say handing my knife and guns. "This place is amazing!" I say smiling at 10K, "Don't get used to it." He says moving forward, what had happened he was so happy earlier.

My eyes shift from place to place, huddling next to Cassandra as we walked. "This place might look good but there's gotta be something wrong." She says looking at La Reina. Pain started to spread from my torso, I still hadn't gotten used to the new skin and it wasn't so great. We enter a dark musty lab. 'Still seemed a lot cleaner than the ones in America.' Thinking like that would get you nowhere Ziggs.

"Welcome to my laboratory." She says waving us in. letting someone in behind us, I feel more tension in the air. They mention Colorado and my ears perk up. "He was the one who caused the fallout!" I get angry, Cassandra noded her head, "Innocent people died." I charge at him, Warren stops me with one arm, "Not now, you'll get your swing at him." She says looking me in my eyes. I mumble fine, and head over to Cassandra never looking away from that monster.

Leaving Murphy a lone with that Doctor, we head to a dark hallway. "Okay so how would you like the reward, cars, ten years worth of gas, anything you want." She says, not trusting her with my better judgement, she continues, "Or you could work for me, I need skilled professionals.." I stop paying attention to her and look at Vasquez, him and Warren were talking. "You are more generous than I hoped for. We will stay." Warren says.

La Reina says something but before I can make out anything a bag is placed over my head. I might not be able to see but I can feel, the guy who got me had a finger to my mouth. My last effort to bite him worked, I slowly fade into the darkness.

* * *

They lift the bag off my head, were in a different room and Escorpian is on what looks like at Catwalk. Explaining his game saying the last men or women standing would get the jobs. He waved us to the weapons, I pick to blades, best ones I could see. Handing one to Cassandra, "Let's get rid of them," I whisper to her pointing to the cage door. Looking around I see them betting on us, Escorpian stops them.

"Round one." He says giving no further explanation. The door buzzes, one single Z comes running, "I got this!" Addy yells stabbing the thing in the eye. "Final round." Escorpian says, the door buzzes even louder than last time and I see at least two Z's for every person in our group. The lights turn out for Escorpian's favor. The door opens up, and to me all Hell breaks loose, killing as many Z's in front of me, sticking close to Cassandra, those were my goals. The last Z dies and the lights turn on.

"No wonder you all survived so long, we could really use some Zeros like you." La Reina says looking at all of us. "Do we get to join the club now?" Warren asks her. They rush us all out, taking me to a room and cleaning me up, not understanding what they were saying was a nightmare. They throw me into a shower, hot shower and I start to relax, the last time I had one of these was day one. Looking in the mirror after the shower surprised me. I hadn't looked like this, without dirt for, God I don't even know when. Looking into the mirror closely I frowned, my whole body was different now, no longer the old Ziggs.

Putting some fresh clothes on the bathroom sink, the lady leaves telling me I needed to get changed and the rest of the process would begin. I put on the grey and black shirt, no blood stains on it at all, almost brand new, The jeans were a close cut to me. They also left me a sharpened bracelet and my mother's locket. The bruise on my neck had not faded, not at all, hopefully I wouldn't look to different by the end of this.

* * *

By the end of it I had been pepped, cleaned, massaged and my hair was dyed over again blue. Heading out I see Doc and almost bust out laughing, "Nice beard Doc!" I say trying to keep myself from laughing. "Wow kid, you look.." He doesn't finish his sentence Warren walks in and along with her, Cassandra. Cassandra had looked amazing and so did Addy, 10K and Warren, to me Vazquez looked the same. "You look great." I say hugging Cassandra. She laughs at me, "So do you!" she looks at my hair. "What? The blue was fading." I say staring at 10K.

"I feel weird." He says looking himself up and down, we all agree with him, this was weird. Escorpion Comes in, "Follow me," He says with his three guard behind him. His guard beside him, the one I bit, pulled out a bag. Walking forward with bags on our heads wasn't easy but we managed to get to our destination. They pull the bags off our heads, revealing us to a large number of people on the lower floor. La Reina makes a speech and a guard hands us our weapons back.

Getting my weapons back, made me so exciting, they had cleaned all of our weapons, which made them look too clean to use. Heading downstairs to enjoy the party was difficult, smiling at them as they went around not caring about the outside world. I stand next to a table looking at a thing of Alcohol. "You know you can just get a shot." 10K sas looking at me, sometimes he was so confusing, I couldn't figure him out. "What?" He asks , looking at me, "You know, you're so confusing, I can't even figure yo.." He kisses me again, "wha.. why do you keep doing this?" I ask him, face turning red, "Because you're so cute when you get flustered." He says, I look at him for a second, "We have never been on a date." I say looking at him.

"This could be our first." he says leaning into me, I nod my head. This day could not get better in my opinion. "Why don't you two get a room." Addy says looking at us. "Sorry," I say going in for another kiss. As the party goes on, there's one person completely unaccounted for, Vasquez. I stop 10K for a second and notice him aiming his gun at Escorpian, this can't be good. Warren pushes his arm just in time to move the shot away from his head. The gunshot freaks everyone out, even making some jump.

"This can't be good," Cassandra say turning to the situation, they take him down and away from the ballroom. Murphy yells "Warren saved the Queen!" He looks alarmed. My head starts to spin a bit, feeling under my nostrils, I pick up blood. Before Cassandra turns to me I quickly clean my face of any blood and smile. "What do we do now guys?" 10K asks looking at all of us. "No idea, how was Warren there to stop the attack?" Doc says, "Don't know but I plan to find out!" Addy says about to head to Warren when that doctor Kurrian guy walks at Cassandra I see a bit of anger rise over her face. He starts speaking about a cure, and that he made it with Murphy's blood. He needs a volunteer, but no one raises their hands, or seems excited until they bring out Vasquez. Looking at Cassandra my face goes grim, "This can't be good!" I say.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8.

They held him down Syringe above his shoulder, filled with a cloudy substance of God knows what! Before Doctor Kurian can inject him with this serum, the Queen stops him, "On second thought, it's such a monumental accomplishment. The honor of the first dose should really go to you." She says looking him up and down for any sign of fear or terror, he makes a fuss but does as he's told. After the injection, he starts shaking and spinning violently, against my better judgement I stay and watch it happen. "Kill him!" The queen says, he stops her, repeating wait over and over again, standing up. The queen test his abilities, putting his hand in a box with a Z's head. He starts to scream, hurting my ears I cover them as he pulls his hand out falling to the ground, nose bleeding.

These symptoms I've been getting, the nosebleeds, the head aches, and pains in my body, I had felt them before all of this was too familiar. "Ziggs!" A voice says, "ZIGGS!"it's repeated over and over again, someone was shaking me now putting me back into focus. We weren't in the main ballroom anymore, one of the rooms. First face I see was Cassandra's, "Thank God!" she says pulling me up, if anything she was angry, "I swear, you are more trouble than you're worth." She says, looking at her eyes, they weren't as cloudy as they were when we first met, her bite mark had started to heal as well.

"We have to get out of here!" She says pulling me up more, the nosebleeds had stopped. "why are we going?" I ask her jogging a bit slower than her. "Because Warren told us." She says pulling me more than she had during this trip through the halls and into a tunnel. "The exit is this way.." She says looking back at me, "Don't worry about him he is probably on his way right now." She says smiling at me. She always knew how to calm me down, we start getting close to the Ladder when we hear three or four sets of foot steps. We head up the ladder thinking of no way to fight or avoid any enemy if it was an enemy, it could've been our friends.

"Do you think that was them?" I ask her, she shrugs, "If it was then they'll see us up here.." She grabs my shoulder, "How's your head?" She ask filling the silence. "It feels a lot better." I smile at her, hearing footsteps climb the ladder I jump up, seeing Vasquez first, I start running, "I can't believe I'm saying this but I'm so happy you're alive." I say taking his arm, "Yeah me too kid." He says smiling, Doc and 10K come up next and I smile at them. I run too 10k and just smile at him, "I'm sorry I ruined our first date." I say hugging him, he just looks at me for a second and laughs. Before he can speak I kiss him, "Now you know how it feels to be interrupted." I say walking off over to Doc, "Where's Addy and the other's?" I ask he perks his head up looking at the ladder, pulling my head over to face it I see her smirk.

"Now all we need is Warren and.." Murphy interrupts my sentence by climbing from the hatch with Warren right behind. I hear a familiar voice speak from behind me, he was speaking in spanish at first. Vasquez's voice wasn't happy so I guessed it was Escorpian. "No one disrespects me and lives." He says pulling my neck back with his arm, "I guess he'll be the first." He says, before I know it I grab his arm, I let out a growl and I loose track of the situation, I could still see, but all of it was so blurry. Grabbing his arm I push him off me and towards Vasquez. "Here you go!" I say staggering a bit back to normal. Seemed like the beast didn't mind helping me out in bad situations.

A fight ensued as Escorpian and Vasquez fought, hitting and kicking, an even fight before Vasquez got the upperhand. He pushed Escorpian down the hatch filled with Z's. That was the end of Escorpian, which seemed to have a horrible end for him. Looking around I see six nice cars and eight of us. " I guess me and Ziggs will ride together." 10K says looking at me, "What makes you think that." I say to him, he looks at me a second and smiles. "Cassandra do.." she went off with Warren. "Guess it will just be the two of us." I say getting in the passenger seat. He looks at me, "What? I never learned to drive, I was fourteen when the apocalypse started." I say kissing him, "Lets go!" I say pulling out.

* * *

~Author's Note~ Sorry for the shortness, hard to work with, this one.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Flashback

The drive was super fun, being in a fast car like that is amazing after what I have gone through the last month. But all good things come to an end, the gas ran out after we past the border of California. We were so close to the CDC, thank God Addy had gotten coordinates from that Citizen Z guy. After spending five minutes of Rendezvous with everyone we start walking past buildings , and going down stairs until Addy notices the area around us, "This was Disney Land!" She says pointing out the Disney's signature "D", "Wow this is..depressing," I say walking down the stairs and past the sign.

This place brought back so many times me and my family, Mom and Dad. For all I knew Dad was dead, mom had been a Z at that Zero facility, looking at my arm I notice a very old scar. That was before the Apocalypse, the day before actually. That year had been the worst for me, I had been sick since day one.

* * *

Pre-Z, day before the apocalypse.

This was a normal life for me, medical check-ups, drugs antibiotics, anything that would keep me from dying. When I was born, my immune system didn't work as well as most. I had no way of fighting anything like diseases or even clothes, my body relied on modern medicine to fight off everything. I had lived in New York most of my life until I had become incredibly sick a one year ago, I was already relying on an oxygen tank to get around. My parents had become desperate and the Medical bills and living were to high in the city, so When they were offered a deal, move to Colorado, keep me modetered at all times and living near the hospital for free it was to good to pass up.

That was when the depression hit, I had known so many people, my life was there and it was taken. That was when I had started cutting my arms and thighs, until they took all the sharp objects from me, and my condition was a bit better than it was to begin the damage was done, when the the apocalypse started mom and dad were dragging me out of the hospital when I felt a sharp pain in my arm looking down I saw blood gushing out of me in a shape of a mouth, I was bit. They had noticed it, without any medication I was dead anyway I had thought, but some part of me wanted to fight, I guess it didn't want to become one of those things or I wanted to live. Either way it was my downfall, they had made it out of the hospital, then to the car, Dad gently putting me into the backseat in the car.

The bleeding had gotten worse and the car came to a halt in a parking lot of a small house with an oak tree. Getting me inside and putting me on the floor, they had stared at me waiting for the inevitable, mom was holding my hand and Dad held my head up. There was loud gun fire outside the house, Mom and Dad were getting up to look out, Dad left his guns and Mom left her locket. They never came into the house again, all I could imagine was the suffering and then the undead piled in.

All of them looking for anything alive, avoiding me. They walked right over me, not noticing me, They only ate the living that was all that I had known about them. I could feel my heart stop, it was fast at first, but my heart was getting slower, and slower until it gradually stopped. I could feel it I was dead, but I was still there, no turn and then I felt it speed up, I was alive. I backed away and there eyes turned to me and they charged at me, I still thought they were in there. Trying to reason with them didn't work, I had grabbed a knife, hunting knife and when one ran at me I stabbed it in the eye, a second in the chest, didn't die so I stabbed him in the forehead. The last one was a nurse, the sad thing was she was my nurse.

I jabbed my knife at her, right in the eye and I broke down. This wasn't me, hurting or killing things, it was not me. I looked at the corpses, holding my vomit down I carry the bodies outside the house, these things were once alive, so was I, that was the day I became Ziggs, a survivor. No longer the boy my parents raised, just an empty shell.

* * *

Present day

I had made a promise to myself that I'd try to hold onto the old me, I had forgotten about that promise, holding knife to a Z, KIlling it faster with more remorse, "We should find cover, this is Blaster country." I say following 10K. Warren turns to look at me, "Good Idea." she points to a sewer tunnel, 'This was going to be fun!" I think to myself walking to the tunnel, it was more clean than I thought it would be, the place was a great place to rest though. 10K and me, head to a far end, no one follows us, but I hear Cassandra snicker.

"Can you believe it!" I say looking at him, "What?" He asks me, he seemed less focused on the present and more on the past. I kiss his forehead, "Never mind, just rest okay." I say getting up a second before he grabs my arm. "Where did you get that mark from." He says looking at my arm around the elbow. "Day one, a Z got ahold of me and, well the mark explains itself." I say sitting back down, his arm touches my shoulder, I could tell he wasn't used to this, for all I knew he was disgusted by me being part Z, I couldn't help my actions I had to get up and run.

I look at him, still in thought, if I was quiet I could walk away but the old me would stay. Keeping my promise I lay on his lap, just slowly drifting off. He seems to come back as my eyelids become heavy, "What are you doing?" He asks me, I raise my head up a little, "Just resting a bit," I smile at him, he seemed to relax a bit. He puts his palm on my forehead, "What are you doing?" I ask surprised by his actions, "Checking for a fever, you're acting weird." He says smiling at me. I kiss him again, our relationship seemed to be going well, considering it was the apocalypse.

He doesn't seem to hold back, pushing me on the ground, "Wow serious much." I say pulling away, "Oh, I'm sorry." he backs away, then realizes I was joking. "Oh, you were.." I kiss and wrap my arms around his waist. "That's nice!" I hear a voice say, interrupting the moment, the voice being Cassandra, "Come on lovebirds we're moving out, and 10K your fly is uh.." She points to his pants and I laugh. Leaving the little hiding place to meet with the other's, were Addy beckons me to her, "So did you two do it?" She asks me, "Gosh so middle school, but no." I say getting my knife out.

After leaving the tunnels we head to a forested area, where we find a little wooden diner place. "This is the place?" I ask Addy who was just looking at the coordinates. "It is, if the coordinates are right." She says putting the thing with the coordinates away. "Okay Murphy put this on, Me and Vasquez will check the place out." Warren says handing Murphy a bag of women's clothing, "Why do I have to wear this?" He complains, "Because there's a bounty on your head." Warren says heading down with Vasquez to the at the place it seemed well managed, that probably means people!


End file.
